A Most Curious Planet
by Misty Mountaineer
Summary: Donna went to tap the Doctor on the shoulder, but found herself quite unable to do so, almost as if there was a pane of glass between them. She pressed her hand against the glass, leaving a small print in its invisible surface.
1. A Most Curious Planet

**Chapter 1**

**A Most Curious Planet**

"So, Donna Noble, in a few moments you shall step onto the wonderful planet of Barcelona. Hills! Luscious grass and fantastic cities filled with many wonderful people! Picture it before your eyes and it shall be there!"

The Doctor proceeded to quickly flit about the Tardis and turn numerous levers and input numbers of his computer. His hands tremored slightly with excitement.

Donna wondered silently to herself. "Where did he acquire his computers?" She would have looked into this matter further but the familiar heavy breathing sound of the Tardis whisked her away into a myriad of thoughts. Still, after all of this time, the mystery of new places excited her to the point of giddy curiosity.

Crash!!! "Not a common sound aboard a Tardis." Though Donna as the Tardis came to a sudden and unexpected stop.

"Doctor? Are we at Barcelona? 'Cause if so I think that we landed a bit funny don't you think?"

Not quite hearing her, the Doctor ran around the Tardis. Thinking aloud he checked all of the various instruments. "Excuse me, but since when have you been here? The Tardis indicated that there was nothing here during travel, and suddenly it was alerted to your rather large existence. And since I trust my Tardis, you Sir, are in the wrong. Let's see, if …"

Thinking many of the same things herself Donna quietly paced around the Tardis, finding herself at the Door. "Um, ah Doctor? I think I'm just gonna … take a look outside real quick. I'll be right …" But before she finished the last word, the door of the Tardis clicked shut.

"Entire planets don't just pop out of nowhere! Well, that is to say, not normally. There was the one time Nexus disappeared, and landed in some poor woman's backyard. But that's different, there was an intergalactical rod and an angry civilization involved. So why did you decide to appear in front of my Tardis. That is not really proper manner if I do say. So, Donna, what do say? Let's go and have a look-see, shall we?"

No answer.

"Donna? Donna, where are you? You didn't go and …"

The Doctor stepped out of the Tardis not knowing where his foot would fall.


	2. Alphabet Soup

**Chapter 2**

**Alphabet Soup**

Donna Noble was sitting at a small table in a small café. She could have assumed it was Barcelona, due to all of the different looking people sitting around her, but she never asked. Not realizing that the doctor was not with her, she sat quietly and watched the hustle and bustle around her.

Leafing through the menu, she laughed wonderfully with each new dish that she read. Algragian green leaf pudding. Yakuk meat stew. There was even a man nearby her that ordered something that looked like still beating hearts.

As the waiter, who happened to be a nice icy blue in color, came over Donna took a final look through the menu and placed her order. "Alphabet soup please. Oh! And if you have any of those small round crackers, you know! The ummm… Oyster crackers, that it! If you have any 'a those gimme lots of em'. I really like them." The Waiter left silently.

Donna stared blankly at the four brick walls, a happy, yet distant expression on her face. Not thinking about anything, she waited for her soup to come.

The Waiter came back and put the soup down in front of her. The Oyster crackers overflowing from the plate, she picked one up and ate. A small smile crossed her face. She picked up the spoon and looked down at her soup. The macaroni letters drifted around the bowl, temporarily forming into the words 'The Doctor'.

A light bulb went on over her head and quickly realized that everything was wrong. "How did I get in here… sitting down? And where is the Doctor. With a slight air of anxiousness she went and opened the door to the men's bathroom. But where she found herself was not the bathroom at all.


	3. Handprints in the Glass

**Chapter 3**

**Hand Prints in the Glass**

The Door of the men's room slammed closed as Donna let it fall from her hand. This was no men's room she had ever seen, unless she had been the subject of a practical joke. But that was pretty much out of the realm of possibility since when she turned around there was just more of the same silver leaved trees. No, she was now someplace completely different.

After walking around a few paces and wondering where she was, and more importantly where the Doctor was, she saw him walking smoothly across the forest floor. She called out to him. "Doctor!! Doctor!! Doctor??" Thoroughly confused she walked up to him and waved her hands in front of his face. Still no response. Slightly ticked off by his manner, she went to tap him on the shoulder, but found herself quite unable to do so, almost as if there was a pane of glass between them. She pressed her hand against the glass, leaving a small print in its invisible surface.

For a while she walked next to him, hand by his side, even though she could not touch it. After a while they appeared at a house at the top of a hill. A woman was standing at the door, watching him approach from a distance. Two small children ran towards him crying out "Daddy Daddy!!!" They walked with him up to the house. Donna didn't try to talk to them, realizing that they would not be able to hear her either, even though she didn't quite understand why.

The Doctor stepped up to the woman with a firm step, but hesitated to kiss her. Donna heard tiny whispers escape from his mouth. "But you shouldn't…" But he was cut off by his past wife, Donna figured, sweeping up to him and stopping his speaking with a kiss. A twinge of jealousy flashed trough Donna as she watched them kiss, until she watched a tear fall from the Doctors face.

Jenny stepped out from the door of the house and walked up to her father and put her hand on his shoulder. What would have been an emotional moment was cut short way too soon by a familiar voice.

"Exterminate! EXTERMINATE!!" Blue flashes of light hit the people all around the Doctor. Donna knew all too well what was happening.

From the dark room there came horrid screams of pain and the cry of the Daleks. Confusion and terror reigned. Endless pain and suffering was endured on both sides. From the large windows of the space ship she watched the Doctors home planet of Galiffrey explode into nothing.

From the intense burst of light emerged the Doctor and another woman and a large Tudor house. The whole scene seemed intimate. And the Doctor seemed almost…human. "This must have been the event Martha mentioned when he was faced with being a human and living a normal life."

The woman turned around to face the Doctor and Donna Noble. The long blond hair swung around her head and revealed the face of Rose Tyler. She walked slowly up to the Doctor, who himself was frozen. They hugged. Long and passionately, but didn't go any farther. The Doctor, with tears streaming down his face, spoke to the air. "Why? How? You Shouldn't… We shouldn't… This shouldn't be…"

Rose put her finger upon his lips to silence him. The Doctor noticed a hand print in the glass behind where Rose was standing. His mind flickered and he found himself hugging Donna Noble instead of Rose Tyler.


	4. Hello

**Chapter 4**

**Hello**

"Donna!! I'm so happy to see you safe! "Saying this he picked her up and swept her around in a circle.

"Ok. This is a little strange. But I'll take it with a grain of salt." Thought Donna as she was being whipped around the air by a strangely jubilant Doctor.

"Ok" he said as he put her down. So how are we going to get out of here? And where's my Tardis?" He began to walk around looking for it, trudging around the bleak landscape. Realizing he was getting nowhere he started thinking aloud. "This place seems to have some kind of memory vortex about it."

"Not so, Doctor, because it's not often that I go into small diners with blue colored people. Not that I discriminate against blue people, but it's not the place I usually find myself."

"I get the picture Donna. So it brings out our deepest passionate wants. Whether it be Alphabet Soup or umm… yeah. But the question is Where is My Tardis!? So if it has want field, one should be able to just get whatever he wants. But it just brings up a false image of what it truly is. So even if you want to go home or to the Tardis, it would just bring you to a mere image of it, creating a never ending vicious cycle."

"Wow. Sounds like a problem. Worth a try though. _I want a way to go back to the Tardis. I want a way to go back to the Tardis. I want a way to go back to the Tardis._" Before her appeared a pair of shiny red slippers. "Could…? Worth a try." Click. Click Click. Her heels came together and brought the Tardis to her. "That was simple enough."

She went to go and collect the Doctor, thoroughly proud of herself, but instead walked headfirst into a solid pane of glass.


	5. Desire

**Chapter 5**

**Desire**

Turning around he started talking. "Donna, I think I figured it out. It's simple really, if you look at it. You just have to… Donna? Where'd you go? Not again…" Much to his surprise she was no longer there. Only a handprint remained.

"just have to think of your deepest desire."

The Doctor sat down, alone. The landscape around bleak, barren, no noise and no life, besides himself. He found himself facing a nightmare. Curious, how he that lives forever can be alone.

Before him Donna Noble faded in and out; her presence only slightly there. She beckoned him to come to her. She began to fade back out again, disappearing into desert sand.

He wanted her to come back. He wanted her to reappear. He didn't want to be alone anymore. He wanted to be able to rely on someone, and for them to always be there.

Tears clouded his vision. A blurry Donna Noble and Tardis came back into existence. Standing up and clearing his eyes he went over to her. "Thanks, Donna Noble."

"But I didn't do anything." But he walked into the Tardis.

She walked up to the Tardis and in through the door.

"Oh, Donna? How much did you see? Of my…"

"Don't worry Doctor. You can trust me. I won't tell a soul." With a click she closed the door.


End file.
